Ramasamy to PM: What's tyrannical about Waytha's legal challenge?

Urimai pro-tem chairperson P Ramasamy lashed out at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for describing the legal challenge by former minister P Waythamoorthy, over Anwar’s validity as a lawmaker, as a “tyranny of the minority”.

The former Penang deputy chief minister pointed out that, unlike Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh’s incendiary attacks, Waythamoorthy approached the court for redress.

“How can Waythamoorthy’s resort to the courts be condemned as an act of ‘minority tyranny’? Why should Anwar invoke Waythamoorthy’s past to frame his challenge in such terms?

“Does challenging the prime minister automatically constitute tyranny? If so, does the opposition bloc, Perikatan Nasional, also fall under this label?” Ramasamy (above) asked in a statement today.

Yesterday, Anwar warned against tyranny, be it by majority or minority groups, amid a lawsuit questioning the validity of his status as MP and prime minister.

He appeared to take aim at Waythamoorthy, who is also the Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) president.

“A prominent figure, who is now busy challenging a decision of the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, had previously declared that Malaysia is a cruel country (where) thousands of Indians were killed by the police (and) questioned the rights of the Malays.

“That is (someone from) a minority group… so, when I issue this warning, this is not a warning to the majority only.

“This is what I said as the tyranny of the minority, and we will not tolerate (as we have) zero tolerance for any form of racism and religious bigotry,” Anwar added.

The premier also urged the authorities to take action against those who incite hatred, amid heightened tension over a flag blunder by a hardware store owner in Penang, resulting in Akmal holding a rally outside the premises.

Ramasamy said Waythamoorthy took a democratic approach by seeking the court’s judgment on whether Anwar, despite receiving a full royal pardon in 2018, was exempted from the five-year prohibition on contesting elections.

He stressed that if the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) feels the royal pardon had erased Anwar’s past convictions, then no one should be worried about the legal challenge.

Besieged by external forces?

On that note, Ramasamy said the prime minister should refrain from using terms such as “tyranny of the majority” or “tyranny of the minority”, adding it creates an impression that his government is besieged by forces beyond his control.

“The real question Anwar must confront is simple. Is there any truth in what Waythamoorthy is saying?

“If so, Anwar should be concerned with the truth, and nothing but the truth,” Ramasamy added.

Two days ago, the AGC said the royal pardon granted to Anwar by the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong stated that he was fully pardoned and regarded as a person who had never committed any offence.

In 2018, then-Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V pardoned Anwar over the politician’s conviction on sodomy charges in 2015.

In a statement, Pejuang spokesperson Rafique Rashid Ali reminded Anwar that Waythamoorthy’s legal challenge did not touch on the Agong’s prerogative in issuing pardons.

“He is only asking if the pardon issued on May 16, 2018, also lifts the five-year ban on Anwar from contesting in elections.

“What’s wrong with that? I suggest that the prime minister correct himself first.

“As for the public, please continue to voice out. That is your right,” he added.

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